The Exile
by AfterEternity
Summary: When Pai becomes restless and decides to go to Earth to see a certain person, what will happen? My first fic! Please R&R! IxK, LxP, PxT
1. Rescued

Hey everyone! This is my first fanfic, so it won't be great! There will probably be some OOC-ness, so just tell me if it gets too bad! Any advice will work too. Please, if you're going to flame it at least try to be helpful. On with the story!

-Meiko

Disclaimer: I don't own TMM. Obviously. I mean, look at the last episode! Masaya should have died a brutal, horrible death. And Ichigo should have been with either Kish or Ryou.

'Thinking'

"Talking"

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Lost Love 

Pai sighed as he lay on his bed. He couldn't get her out of his head. That beautiful girl who had tried to destroy everything, and had almost succeeded. Especially in destroying his heart.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in", Pai called tiredly.

"Are you alright?" Taruto looked worried. "You and Kish have both been acting really weird lately."

"I'm fine. What about Kish?" Pai answered. "Is he still pining over that stupid human?"

"Yes, and you have been acting the same way. Both of you have been just staying in your rooms. When was the last time you came out? Are YOU in love?"

"NO, Taruto. None of us have time for it. Go get Kish. We're going."

"Where?"

"To Earth. We haven't destroyed anything in a long time. We haven't done _anything _to get our planet back in a long time. Let's go."  
"Alright…"

While Taruto ran to get Kish, Pai sighed. Only he knew the real reason he was going; he wanted to see the Mew Mew Lettuce again. What Taruto had asked was correct-he was in love. But nobody could know. If Taruto or Kish found out…

---------------------------------------------------------------

"Lettuce, look out!"

Ichigo ran to catch the dishes Lettuce was carrying, and had almost dropped. 'I wonder if anything is wrong with Lettuce…she seems even more klutzy and faraway than usual.'

"I'm sorry! I just…tripped."

"Again? That's thetenth time today. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." 'If you really knew, I'd be in big trouble…'

"Chimera Anima!" Masha beeped, floating up to Ichigo.

"Let's go, everyone!" Ichigo called as Mint, Zakuro and Pudding came running out.

When they got there, they saw the Chimera Anima: A giant dog-like thing was terrorizing people on the streets. The three aliens were there too.

Kish immediately saw Ichigo and teleported down to kiss her.

"Get AWAY, you perv!" Ichigo screeched as he smirked and teleported away. Ichigo ran to go help her friends with the Chimera Anima. All except one. Lettuce and Pai were just standing, staring at eachother. Suddenly the Chimera Anima saw Lettuce, alone and looking defenseless, and attacked. Lettuce screamed as Pai shouted, "Lettuce!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lettuce woke up in a strange room, with white walls and furniture. Everything was white.

'Where…where am I?' she thought, as she tried to sit up. A jolt of pain through her head forced her to lie down again.

"Ah, you're awake." Lettuce started. She hadn't seen Pai sitting in the chair in the corner.

"Where am I?" She asked, trying to sit up and failing again.

"You're in the spare room. We're on our ship."

"WHAT? What about my friends? What happened to them? Wait…what happened to me?"

"The Chimera Anima attacked you, and you didn't see it coming," Pai answered. He knew what she was going to ask next.

"Then how did I end up here?"

Yes, he was right. 'Should have seen that coming, I should have thought of an answer while she was sleeping. I don't want her to think that I like her, but…'

"Hello? Pai?" Lettuce looked at him with concern in her eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. You're here because I brought you here. Your friends are safe, but I don't think they know where you are. I am sending Kish to tell them. He seems overly happy to go, so he seemd the obvios choice."

"Oh…"

-Awkward pause-

"H-how long have I been here?"

"You have been sleeping for about 2 days."

"I was knocked out that bad?"

"Yes, the Chimera Anima was quite strong. You were unconscious by the time I got to you." It was very hard for Pai to be his calm, cool self with the love of his life on his ship in the same room as him, talking to him. He had SAVED her. She was the enemy, she was standing in the way of him and his friends getting their planet back, and he had _saved _her. The full impact of what he had done hit him. _He had saved the life of an enemy._ Deep Blue-sama was going to get him for this…

"Pai?" Lettuce looked genuinely worried. She tried to sit up again, but Pai pushed her down. "You need to rest. I'm fine. Just get some sleep, ok? I have to get you back to Earth soon, I am sure your friends are worried already."

With that, he teleported away.

"Where could she _possibly_ be!" Ichigo was becoming even more worried.

"Relax, she will be fine. I have confidence that Pai will take care of her…he may consider her the enemy, but I think Pai cares about her. He won't let her die."

Keiichiro and Ryou were desperately trying to reassure the girls, especially Ichigo, that Lettuce was safe. Zakuro was being her usual calm, collected self, Pudding was actually bouncing off the walls, as usual, but this time with worry, and Mint was trying to be as calm as her idol Zakuro. She was literally gulping down her tea.

"I know he won't let Taruto or Kish near her, that I can guarantee. They are our main worry right now."

"I have to go home, Pai. Please take me home. I'm well enough now, and I'm sure they're all very worried about me."

"Are you sure?" Pai was a little disappointed. He liked having Lettuce in the ship with him.

"Yes, I'm sure. Please, Pai?" Lettuce gave him a pleading look that Pai just couldn't stand. He walked over to the window and stared out at the Earth, then sighed.

"Alright. I'll take you home. Just be careful."

He walked over to her and picked her up bridal-style and teleported away.

They ended up right in front of Café Mew Mew. All Lettuce's friends came running out to see her.

"Lettuce!" they all yelled, very happy to see her. "Hello, everyone!" She cried, just as happily, then turned to Pai. "Thank you, she whispered, and he did something that stopped the Mews in their tracks: he kissed her, full on the lips, and she returned it. They stayed like this for about 1 minute, and then they pulled away from eachother, both blushing profusely. "Good-bye," he murmured, then put her down and teleported back to his ship.

"Ooooh…what was that all about?" Pudding bounced up to Lettuce. "Does Lettuce-oneechan have a boyfriend?" By now, Lettuce was as red as Ichigo's hair. All the Mews gathered around her, whispering, which made her blush even more (if that's possible).

That night, as she lay in bed looking out her window, she whispered "Thank you, Pai. I love you."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Kay, please R&R! Keep in mind that this is my FIRST fanfic. Please tell me if you want a sequel! Thanks!


	2. Exiled

Hey everyone…I was going to make Lost Love a oneshot and do a sequel, but I decided to make more chapters instead. Here's chapter 2, hope you like it! There is, again, lotsa OOC-ness in this chapter. Sorry about that. Please R&R! This is set 3 years after the anime-they're still fighting the aliens, this is just set three years after the anime ends. The first chappie is set in the same time. Obviously. Anyway,here are the ages:

Lettuce-16

Ichigo-15

Mint-14

Zakuro-18

Pudding-11

Pai-19

Kish-15

Taruto-12

Sorry, I know at least some of these are wrong, but these are the ages for this story.

Thanks to my four reviewers, the reviews made my day  Thanks to Applecake, Mew-Dolphin, LadyFaith, and Maggie the not-so-anonymous-reviewer. Maggie is my sister. Thanks again, everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't, and sadly never will, own Tokyo Mew Mew. I do own Emiri and Ansoni though.

'Thinking'

"Talking"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pai sat in the tree, looking down at the world beneath him and sighed. It had been almost one month since he had saved the Mew Mew, Lettuce. He didn't know how Deep Blue had found out, but somehow he had, and he had exiled him from his home planet for two full years. Even Pai, who had complete faith in Deep Blue, thought it was a bit extreme. Kish and Taruto had lost all faith in Deep Blue, and now worked together to try to reclaim the Earth. Pai was his only loyal servant left, and he had _exiled_ him. Taruto and Kish both thought he was insane for not giving up on Deep Blue, but if he did, who would save their people?  
Of course, exiling him for two full years was a _bit _severe, and he had no place to go. He decided to come to Earth-he obviously wouldn't be welcome there, but where else could he go?

Pai jumped down from the tree. He was eliciting some odd looks from passersby, and he really needed somewhere to go. He started walking in the direction of, he hoped, Café Mew Mew. Lettuce might be there, and she owed him something for saving her from that Chimera Anima-even though he created it. He sincerely hoped she would help him, because there was no way he could survive on his own for two years.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lettuce sighed. She had been doing a lot of that lately-she hadn't been herself. All her friends had noticed. She had been working just as hard, maybe harder, than Ichigo, and she hadn't dropped one order for over two days. Everyone was getting worried. They decided to confront her after the café closed.

As Lettuce was preparing to close the café, her friends popped out if the kitchen.

"Lettuce, we need to talk to you," Mint said.

"About what?" she replied, looking surprised.

"Are you alright? You haven't been acting yourself lately…you're quiet, more so than usual, and you haven't broken anything in the last two days. Are you sure you're alright?" Ichigo pressed, looking concerned.  
"Yes, I'm fine," Lettuce responded with a weak smile. "I'm just…tired, and I'm trying to concentrate on not breaking anything." 'That was the lamest excuse I have ever come up with,' she thought. "I have a lot on my mind lately."

"Does it have anything to do with a certain purple-mmmmmm!" Pudding tried to ask, before Mint quickly put a hand over her mouth.

Lettuce started blushing profusely. "No, of course not, Pudding! I'm fine. You should all get home. I'll close up."

As the others left, two people walked in. One was a girl, tall and blonde, and the other was a boy, also tall but with dark hair.

"I'm sorry," the girl said. "Is the café closed?"

"We were just closing up," Lettuce replied. "Would you like something?"

"We just came to see if Ryou and Keiichiro were in," the boy replied. "Are they here?"  
"No, they just left a while ago," Lettuce answered.

"Ok…if you see them, will you tell them that Emiri and Ansoni came over?" The girl, apparently named Emiri, asked.

"Sure. I'll leave a note for them."  
"Alright, thanks. We should be going. Bye."

"Bye."

Lettuce ran to the kitchen to write the note. She paused. 'Was that the door? I thought we had the closed sign up already…' She slowly exited the kitchen and peeked around the corner.

It was Pai.

"P-pai!" she gasped, way beyond surprised. "What are you doing here?" Her face was as red as a tomato.

"I was…err…exiled from my home planet."

"Why?" Lettuce asked, looking truly surprised.

"Ummmmmmm…for…well…for helping you," he replied, looking uncomfortable, to say the least.

"Oh! I'm sorry! But…why did you come here?"

"I…well, had nowhere else to go."

"You're exiled for that long?"

"Yes…" (A/N too many '…'s :P)

"How long?"

"Well…two years…"

"…WHAT! What are you going to do? Two whole _years_ on Earth?"

"I was hoping you might be able to help me with that…"

"Well, I'll try to find you a place. You could live with me, or maybe I could get you an apartment if you wanted more privacy…"

"I don't mind staying with you, if you wouldn't mind…"

"No, I wouldn't mind. I've been living on my own for a while now., and it gets lonely after a while."

'I wonder how we're going to tell Ryou…Keiichiro probably won't mind as much, but Ryou has something against the aliens. It will take a lot to persuade him…'

Just then, Ryou and Keiichiro came in the door "Lettuce, w-what's he doing here!" Ryou said to Lettuce, pointing to Pai.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hehe, cliffie! I'll try to have the next chappie up as soon as possible, but for now please R&R! Go to the lovely little purple button down there please!


	3. Explanations

Hey everyone, I'm back! I decided to take a break from writing my other story, which I haven't got a title for yet, but it's a RyouxIchigo fanfic, to continue writing this story. I'm going to try to put more couples in, but this is mainly just PaixLettuce. Thanks for all your reviews!  Thank you to

**Tartarbabe**

**Applecake**

**Strawberry Sister**

**Mew-Dolphin**

**Maggie**

**Starsky - Chan**

For reviewing the last chapter.

I don't know how long I will make this, but I really need help with my chapter titles. If you have some suggestions, please e-mail me!

Anyway, on with the story!

'Thinking' 

"Talking

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last Time 

Ryou and Keiichiro came in the door. "Lettuce, w-what's he doing here!" Ryou said to Lettuce, pointing to Pai.

Now 

"Uh…R-ryou…ummmm…" Lettuce didn't know what so say. She knew he hated the aliens, but she didn't know why. (A/N see TMM episode 36)

"It's not her fault that I'm here. I came to her, because I need help." Everyone looked at Pai in surprise. They hadn't expected him to say anything, let alone blame himself.

"Then why are you here?" Ryou asked him, his face expressionless. "And why did you come to Lettuce for help?"

"I thought that…maybe…she would help me…she's the only human on Earth that might," Pai replied. (A/N told ya there's OOC-ness in this story…Pai is never unsure of himself, or at least doesn't show it.)

"Well…" Ryou paused, uncertainty crossing his face. Keiichiro put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Why are you here?"

"I was exiled from my planet for helping Lettuce," Pai said coolly. Ryou seemed to be at a loss for words. _'What do I do…damnit, why can't Keiichiro be the leader of this project? He's much better at decision-making than I am…'_

Keiichiro stepped forward. "How long have you been exiled for?" he asked calmly.

Pai seemed slightly surprised by Keiichiro's composure, but slowly replied, "Two years."

Everyone (except Lettuce, who already knew) was _completely_ taken aback by that statement. '_Two years? That's a bit severe, even if he did save a Mew Mew…' _was mainly what was going through the huge minds of Ryou and Keiichiro.

Finally, Ryou stuttered, "How are you going to survive for two years? Even with Lettuce's help, she doesn't make enough money to support two people…" Lettuce blushed.

Keiichiro pulled Ryou aside and started whispering to him. Lettuce and Pai heard Ryou say, "No. No way. That would _not _work," then Keiichiro said something back. The argument went on like this for about two minutes, then Ryou loudly said, "Fine."

Keiichiro came back and kindly said, "Pai, if you stay with Lettuce we could get you a job here at Café Mew Mew."

'_So **that's** what they were arguing about,' _Lettuce thought. '_This could end up interesting…'_

"Really?" For once, Pai seemed genuinely surprised. '_They're letting me work at Café Mew Mew…with Lettuce…I wonder what the other girls will say? They won't be very happy…I just hope they don't attack me…'_

"How are we going to tell the others? They won't be happy, especially Ichigo." Ryou looked slightly worried-the first time he had shown any emotion that day.

"We managed to win you over, Ichigo shouldn't be too much harder," Keiichiro grinned. Ryou grinned. "I don't know about that…" Everyone turned to face him. "What do you mean?" Pai asked. " I mean she has a grudge against the aliens too-because of Kish.

"Oh, of course," Pai murmured. "That imbecile. She might accept me…it's a good thing Kish isn't here. She'd never accept us then."

"Too bad." Kish walked into the kitchen. "Kish? What are you doing here?" Pai looked really angry, and Kish faltered a bit before putting on his usual smug expression.

"I'm sure Kitten will be very happy to see me," Kish said in that self-satisfied way of his. "I missed her so much. I'm sure she feels the same way."

Pai and Ryou rolled their eyes in unison, while Lettuce and Keiichiro fought to contain their laughter. Kish noticed this, looking indignant.

"What? It's true!"

As a way if changing the subject, Pai asked, "Why are you even here Kish? I'm the one who was banished, not you."

"Oh, I got myself exiled too, just not as long," Kish replied happily. "Taruto should be here soon too."

"WHAT!" Pai exploded. "When? Why? How? WHAT!"

Lettuce came up behind Pai and put a hand on his shoulder to try to calm him down. Ryou noticed and raised an eyebrow, and Lettuce blushed a deep red but stayed there. "You got yourself banished on _purpose?_" Keiichiro looked incredulous.

"Yep. We couldn't let Pai here have all the fun, could we?" Kish smirked again.

"How long are you staying on Earth for?" Pai asked, looking slightly afraid. A few months?"

"Nope," came the cheerful answer. "One year."

"Oh God," Ryou murmured and slumped into a chair dramatically.

"Enough questions about us…you can question Taruto when he gets here. For now, where is my neko-chan?"

Everyone groaned in unison. "At home, and you're _not_ going there." Ryou replied.

"Oh yeah?" Kish challenged, and teleported off.

"This is going to be a long, long day," Ryou muttered and went upstairs.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yay! Thanks for all your reviews, everyone! I really need help with my chapter titles though. I suck at any titles. Look at this one. Anyway, please R&R and please help me with my chapter titles!


	4. Attacked

Hello people! I'm back! Everyone must be very happy! Anyway…I'm sorry the chapters are coming up so slowly, I can't think of any ideas. There's WAY too much dialogue in my other chapters. And this one too. Again, thank you to my reviewers for chapter three:

**Applecake**

**Mew-Sahara**

**Tokyomewmewgal**

**FallenGoth13**

PM me if I missed you.

Please please _please _help me! I NEED chapter titles, and I can't think of any ideas either. Thanks Tokyomewmewgal for the titles…they're awesome, and I'll probably use them, but I'll try to gather more suggestions first. Very much appreciated…I'm currently writing a RyouxIchigo story too right now, just not very fast, haven't worked on it for a month or so, so please be patient! Thanks!

BTW, I'm going to add more PuddingxTaruto fluff in the next chapters, and IchigoxKish, if you don't like the pairings then too bad I love them.

Oh, and read Clover of Damnation's stories. They're AWESOME.

'_Thinking'_

"Talking"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last Time 

"_How long are you staying on Earth for?" Pai asked, looking slightly afraid. A few months?"_

"_Nope," came the cheerful answer. "One year."_

"_Oh God," Ryou murmured and slumped into a chair dramatically._

"_Enough questions about us…you can question Taruto when he gets here. For now, where is my neko-chan?"_

_Everyone groaned in unison. "At home, and you're not going there." Ryou replied._

"_Oh yeah?" Kish challenged, and teleported off._

"_This is going to be a long, long day," Ryou muttered and went upstairs._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now 

At Ichigo's house

Kish teleported into Ichigo's kitchen, with that flawless timing that he always has, just as her parents walked in. (A/N she lives on her own, and her parents are visiting for supper that day)

Her mom almost dropped the plate she was carrying. "W-what is that…that thing!"

Kish drew himself up, looking indignant. "I am NOT a thing! I am an intelligent…person!"

Ichigo sighed. "He's an…acquaintance, Mom. Could you give us a minute?"

"Of course." Ichigo's formerly way overprotective father led her mother out. He had faith in Ichigo, and knew she would never cheat on Masaya. He would never let her date again if she did, even though she had moved out. (A/N It almost killed me to write that…I HATE MASAYA! Anyway…)

After they were gone, Ichigo exploded. "Kish what are you doing here? Didn't the Mew Aqua heal your planet? WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT!"

Kish looked mildly surprised at her outburst, but the surprise rapidly disappeared as he smirked at her again. He quickly teleported behind her, spun her around and kissed her.

"K-KISH!" Ichigo broke away and scratched him hard on the face. She had turned into a cat again.

"Ow, what was that for? Is neko-chan upset?" Kish kissed her again and she turned back to normal.

"Of course I'm upset, you retard! You couldn't have waited until my parents left?" Ichigo swiftly remembered her parents were there and quieted down slightly. "Shut up before they come in and investigate. My father will _kill_ you. "

"He can try." Kish grinned arrogantly. "He's just a human. What could he possibly do?"

"You'd be surprised," Ichigo muttered. "What would he do if he saw me as a cat?"

_Why_ did he have to show up now, of all times? '_I would have loved to see him some other time…no! What am I thinking! I don't like Kish…I definitely don't love him! Right! I'm with Masaya…not that horrible, arrogant, evil, extremely hot alien!…ARGH no he's NOT hot I love Masaya, I love Masaya, I love Masaya…'_

While Ichigo was wrapped up in her thoughts, Kish had been staring at her, thinking something different. '_How did I fall in love? I was supposed to destroy her…I might have been able to before, but I'll never be able to do it now…just like Pai will never kill Lettuce and Taruto will never kill Pudding. We can't. It's too hard.'_

After those thoughts, Kish broke out of his reverie. "Well, I better get going, Kitten. I need to find a place to stay." He really just wanted to see her reaction to that.

Ichigo's head snapped up. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY! YOU'RE STAYING ON EARTH!"

Kish grinned. "Yup. I've been exiled. Now I get to spend more time with my Kitten! And Taruto will be able to spend time with Pudding, and Pai with Lettuce! This will be _fun!_"

"Kish, you have a seriously twisted idea of fun. How long are you…living here…for?"

"One year," was the happy reply.

"WHAT!" was Ichigo's reply. "I'm stuck with you for a whole year! Ooooh…Masaya's not going to be happy about this!" the last part was a kind of taunt for Kish, but when she saw how his face fell, she felt genuinely guilty.

"You're still with him? Well then, I'd better go Kitten…see you later…" With that he teleported off.

'Now I feel terrible…what an idiot I am! He'll probably be at the Café…I'd better go there anyway, or I'll be late.'

Ichigo got her purse and hurried out the door. Unconsciously she went toward the shortcut through the alley she had been avoiding since she turned into a cat.

"Well, look what we have here! A pretty little girl with a purse!" A man stepped out of the shadows. He was shabbily dressed, but looked strong and tough. He had seen a lot.

More men started coming out of the shadows. There were five of them, dressed the same as the first.

"Leave me alone!" Ichigo shouted, looking afraid. She was strong, but not enough to take on these six, unless she transformed which she obviously couldn't do.

One of the men came charging at her, knocking her down hard. He stood triumphantly over her-and then fell with a gasping noise.

"Leave her alone!" A voice yelled. '_Kish!' _Ichigo thought. He teleported behind another man and knocked him down with the hilt of one of his Dragon Swords. He then teleported to Ichigo, scooping her up in his arms bridal-style. Ichigo whispered, "Kish?" before he teleported away and everything went black.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

YAY I'm finally done this chapter! Sorry for the delay…I…don't have an excuse. Oh well. By the way, I'm looking for an editor…anyone interested PM me!


	5. New Enemies

Oh my GOD I haven't updated in over a month! WAY over a month! How long has it been?

**Important Author's Note:** I'm thinking of dropping this fic. I have absolutely no idea where it's going, and I have no ideas…I'm just writing whatever pops into my head. Please tell me in a review if you want me to continue! If I get 5 reviews saying I should then I will.

Anyway…review replies!

**Mew-Sahara:** Definitely. But I like it. And so do a lot of other people I think

**IloveDren:** Yay! 10/10! Glad you like it! I'll keep writing, don't worry. Nice name.

**Clover of Damnation:** Thanks. I had to recommend your stories. They're awesome. I'm glad you were happy, I like doing that.

**Tokyomewmewgal: **Of course Kish saves Ichigo. Kish is awesome. And yes, Masaya should die…a lot of people agree on that I never thought of that…I'll do something in the next chapter.

**Applecake:** I love the pairings too. Especially Taruto x Pudding and Kish x Ichigo. Seems like you love T x P more than I do though… :P

**Fareeha: **You FINALLY reviewed, it's about time! I know I need to name the chapters, I'm just too lazy :P Thanks for the review!

I still need an editor…anyone interested? At all?

**Disclaimer: **Sighs I do not, and never will, own Tokyo Mew Mew. Sob

Last Time 

_Ichigo got her purse and hurried out the door. Unconsciously she went toward the shortcut through the alley she had been avoiding since she turned into a cat._

"_Well, look what we have here! A pretty little girl with a purse!" A man stepped out of the shadows. He was shabbily dressed, but looked strong and tough. He had seen a lot._

_More men started coming out of the shadows. There were five of them, dressed the same as the first._

"_Leave me alone!" Ichigo shouted, looking afraid. She was strong, but not enough to take on these six, unless she transformed which she obviously couldn't do._

_One of the men came charging at her, knocking her down hard. He stood triumphantly over her-and then fell with a gasping noise._

"Leave her alone!" A voice yelled. 'Kish!' Ichigo thought. He teleported behind another man and knocked him down with the hilt of one of his Dragon Swords. He then teleported to Ichigo, scooping her up in his arms bridal-style. Ichigo whispered, "Kish?" before he teleported away and everything went black.

Now 

At The Café

"What _happened?_" Lettuce, Mint, Pudding, Zakuro and even Pai were clustered around the bed that Ichigo was laying on, still unconscious. Kish had fallen asleep on a chair in the corner, and Tart still hadn't arrived.

Lettuce walked over to Kish and gently shook his shoulder. He woke with a start.

"What happened?" Lettuce asked softly.

"Mugged," was the only reply before he went back to sleep. Lettuce sighed and went back over to Ichigo.

Suddenly, Tart teleported in. "TAR-TAR!" Pudding yelled and promptly glomped him. "GET OFF ME!" he yelled, before taking in the scene. "What happened to the hag?" (Kish muttered, barely conscious, "She's NOT a hag.")

"She seems to have been mugged, from the one word that Kish has said," replied Ryou. "But she didn't have many injuries, so I'm guessing that she fainted while Kish teleported."

Pai moved away from the wall. "That seems to happen frequently with humans." He then went on to explain, but by then nobody was listening except Lettuce who watched him raptly.

Ichigo stirred. "I think she's waking up…" said Mint, who had been watching Ichigo. Suddenly Ichigo sat up, clearly bewildered. "Kish?" she asked, loudly, and then blushed. Kish jumped up at the sound of his name, then hurried to the bed. "Kitten! You're awake!" Clearly satisfied that she was all right, he hugged her. Tightly.

"Kish…not breathing…"

Meanwhile, Lettuce and Pai had been talking about random things. Like math. And science. (A/N How could people possibly _enjoy_ talking about stuff like that? Anyway…) Pai was enjoying himself more than he had in a long time, though he would never admit it. He was doing most of the talking, after all…nobody had wanted to listen to him about _anything _in a long, long time. Lettuce was just happy to hear Pai talk, and blushed when she thought of that. Kish and Tart, the only people Pai was exposed to for a long time, never wanted to talk about anything like that. Kish was happy to talk about Ichigo and Tart was only interested in talking about Pudding and then vehemently denying he was talking about her. This was different…he was talking to a person who was genuinely interested in what he had to say, someone who he was actually interested in listening to.

Movement to the side caught his eye. Ichigo had sat up and yelled out Kish's name, and was now a fiery red colour. As he watched, Kish jumped up and ran to wrap his arms around his 'Kitten', who was soon turning purplish-red.

Abruptly, Ichigo's cellphone started ringing. Managing to get out from underneath Kish, she pulled her purse-which was still with her, thanks to Kish-out from under the bed, and took out her phone. "Hel-"

"ICHIGO WHERE ARE YOU WHAT HAPPENED WE PHONED ABOUT 50 TIMES WHAT HAPPENED!" her mom screamed from the other end.

"Mom-"  
"Don't try and talk young woman I know you were in a hurry to get to work but you could have at least told us where you were going!"  
"Mom I'm fine! Don't worry! Anyway, I have to go. See you later." She hung up on her mom…Ichigo felt it was better _not _to mention the incident in the alley.

She looked around and noticed that some of the Mews, Kish, Ryou and Tart where trying, and failing, to hold in laughter. Ichigo turned a light pink. "What?"

Kish, between convulsions of laughter, said, "Does she…_always _do …that? I think everyone…in this room heard…exactly what she was… saying to you…"  
Masha suddenly flew out of Ichigo's backpack. "Ichigo! Chimera Anima! Chimera Anima!"  
The Mews looked at eachother in confusion. "But the aliens who were sent to destroy Earth are right here…" Lettuce said, stating the completely obvious.

The colour suddenly drained from Pai's already pale face. "That means one of two things…either Deep Blue has recruited more of our people to attack the Earth, or… he might be coming himself."

MUAHAHA! MINI-CLIFFIE! YAY!..I'll try to have the next chapter up a LOT sooner than this one, but I don't prewrite my chapters like lotsa other people do, and that makes me pathetic. . Sorry!

And I am still looking for an editor!

Wow. I just looked at the stats on this story…there's 25 reviews and 922 hits. 25 reviewed, 897 didn't. Now I am sad…please review! .-.


	6. New Friends

YAY for my awesome reviewers! I don't know if I got five reviews telling me to continue, but one of my favourite stories was just dropped. I was mad. Now, so people who might actually like my story will _not _kill me, I will continue. It's fun to write anyway, but I REALLY don't update very often.

YAY! REVIEW REPLYING TIME!

**Mew-Dolphin:** Yay. You seemed adamant about me _not _dropping it…thanks, that makes me feel good I'll try to update sooner.

**Mew Kiichigo:** Thanks for the review. Don't worry, I _won't _put Ichigo with Masaya…that is the worst couple EVER. He annoys me. Very much. There should be some Masaya-bashing in this chapter, if not then definitely in the next. The main pairing is LettucexPai, but there will be some IchigoxKish.

**Neko Ninja:** Lol. I'll really try to update sooner now. Really sorry for the wait.

**Animeallovergirl:** Yay, I've decided not to stop. The pairings in here are my very favourite Thanks for the review!

I am no one and I stand alone: Original name. :P Thanks! 

**Mew of Fire:** Of course you can. I encourage everyone to. xD

**Moonlight miracle:** So do I. Pai and Lettuce is my favourite couple.

**Most Unlikely Angel:** Lol, thanks. You've probably figured out that I never update fast…but I won't drop it. Everyone should love these pairings

**I-luv-Kish-and-Dark:** Love the name. I do too. XD I know…I just hate it when people do that. I love cliffies…unless I'm the one reading, lol. Don't worry, I won't drop it. I promise.

**_Disclaimer:_** I own nothing. Must you always remind me?

Last Time 

_Masha suddenly flew out of Ichigo's backpack. "Ichigo! Chimera Anima! Chimera Anima!"  
The Mews looked at eachother in confusion. "But the aliens who were sent to destroy Earth are right here…" Lettuce said, stating the completely obvious._

The colour suddenly drained from Pai's already pale face. "That means one of two things…either Deep Blue has recruited more of our people to attack the Earth, or… he might be coming himself."

Now 

At The Café

The café was stunned into silence. Even Kish had frozen where he was. Pudding was _still _stuck to Tart, who had long ago given up trying to get her off of him.

Ryou strode over to the computer. "There's an intense signal coming from the park. Whatever it is, you Mews should get going."

"I'm coming," Kish said suddenly. Everyone looked at him in surprise. "What? If it is Deep Blue, you should use all the help you can get. He hasn't helped our people at all anyway, why shouldn't we fight against him?"

Keiichiro paused, then nodded. "You're right. The Mews can use all the help they can get, and Deep Blue didn't really help anyone. But what if he sent more of your people?"

It was quiet for a moment, then Pai stepped forward. "We'll fight them."

Everyone turned toward him in shock. Out of the three aliens, Pai had always been the most loyal to Deep Blue.

"We need to show them that violence is not the right way to deal with this. We need to find more Mew Aqua. We've already got some, and it healed part of the planet, but we need the rest. Fighting won't help anything."

More silence. Then, Pudding yelled, " Let's go then! Tar-Tar is coming too, right?"

Tart sighed, and mumbled a barely audible "Fine". Pudding promptly took hold of his arm and dragged him out the door. Everyone else followed.

I AM SO SORRY! THAT CHAPTER WAS INFINITESIMALLY SHORT! Sorry. Just wanted to update so nobody thought I was dead. School's started too…-sigh- I'll try to update more regularly-like at least once every two weeks, something like that-but I'm not a very consistent person. I WILL NOT DROP THIS STORY though. Ok? XD Please review! Even if it is flaming. I don't care. I just want REVIEWS.


	7. Final Battle Pt 1

Ok. I am back. I HATE SCHOOL! So much homework. WAY more than last year. . 

Anyway…I think I got more reviews for chapter six than I have for any other chapter. YOU GUYS ROCK!

Okay. You all have two choices.

I update about once a week (if I can…two weeks at the latest) with shorter chapters

Or

I update WAY less often with longer chapters.

Please tell me in a review!

Now for the replies. XD

**SweetAsHoney:** Lol, yes. THE BEST COUPLES EVER. XD Thanks!

Moonlight Miracle:P Thanks for the review lol. 

**Mew of Fire:** Very much so. SO MUCH HOMEWORK…it's not fair.

**Jenny-chan:** Thanks. I really have _no _idea where the story's going though…

**I am no one and I stand alone:** That might be a good idea. You can pick them though. I am _not_ good at making characters. At all.

**KittyMojo:** Lol thanks. YAY COOKIES! –eats jar- xD Thanks a lot!

**MmRamen:** I know it was too short. Sorry. I'll REALLY try harder.

**Glenlightarrow:** I know. I am so proud. XD Thaaaanks for the review!

**TheFoxGirlKitsune:** Thanks! Again, PxL is my absolute FAVOURITE pairing. Next comes KxI, then TxP…sorry. Rambling. XD Glad you like it!

**I-luv-Kish-and-Dark:** Yeah. Kish is AWESOME. :P I'll TRY. But I'm not the greatest at committing to things…

**Mew-Dolphin:** YAY! I love stories in which the aliens and the Mews are allies. It's so awesome…and it gives Kish and Ichigo, Pai and Lettuce, and Pudding and Tart to…get to know eachother. XD Thanks!

**Clover of Damnation:** S'okay. :P Thanks.

'Thoughts' 

"Speech"

Okay. Story time. XD

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Last Time 

_It was quiet for a moment, then Pai stepped forward. "We'll fight them."_

_Everyone turned toward him in shock. Out of the three aliens, Pai had always been the most loyal to Deep Blue._

"_We need to show them that violence is not the right way to deal with this. We need to find more Mew Aqua. We've already got some, and it healed part of the planet, but we need the rest. Fighting won't help anything."_

_More silence. Then, Pudding yelled, " Let's go then! Tar-Tar is coming too, right?"_

_Tart sighed, and mumbled a barely audible "Fine". Pudding promptly took hold of his arm and dragged him out the door. Everyone else followed._

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The Mews ran as fast as they could towards the park, the aliens flying above them. Pai's mind was racing. '_Did I **really** say I'd fight Deep Blue? Impossible. Anyway, he wouldn't lower himself to come to fight himself. But what if he did?' _his traitorous mind thought. '_What if? Even if he didn't, he'd have to send more of our people…how could I fight them?' _Lost in his thoughts, he didn't even notice they had reached the park until he crashed into Kish, who had stopped. "Watch where you're going!" Kish grumbled.

All of them looked toward the park, and gasped. A giant Chimera Anima (sp?), bigger than any any of them had ever seen, was standing beside an alien. The Chimera Anima was like a giant dog-except with spikes instead of fur, and what looked like giant metal _needles_ instead of claws and teeth. It was, overall, _terrifying_. The aliens landed-Kish beside Ichigo, Tart beside Pudding and Pai beside Lettuce. Mint and Zakuro stayed close together.

The alien standing beside the animal was tall and slender, with long black hair and pale skin. He was wearing dark blue robes. At once, everyone knew who it was.

The main thought going through all their heads at that moment was, '_Deep Blue. How can we win now?'_

"Well, look who we have here. The Mews and their traitorous allies. So you _did_ decide to join them…I expected this from Kish, and _maybe_ Tart, but Pai? I thought you were _loyal._ The most loyal of them all, and now here you are, consorting with the enemy." (A/N Likes to hear himself talk, doesn't he?)

Pai took a step backward. Lettuce quickly whispered in his ear, "_Don't_ let him manipulate you. He is good with words. Please," her look changed to a one of pleading, "please don't leave us. Please, don't leave _me."_

Pai looked at her, completely taken aback. What did she mean? Did…was it possible that she had the same feelings for him that he had for her? No matter. He would defend her to the death. As Kish would defend Ichigo, and Tart would defend Pudding…though it would be a while before he would admit it.

"So," Deep Blue said, "You're really going to fight me?" He looked at all of them, each equally serious. "So be it."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Alright. I finally updated. Honestly, I am _horrible_ at committing to things. . Sorry. Anyway…I am _still_ looking for an editor… :P I don't think I'll ever find one, but I'll keep trying. Please R&R! And remember to say which chapter 'type' you'd prefer. Thanks.


	8. Final Battle Pt 2

Oh my GOD I AM SO SORRY!!! It's been over three months. I feel so guilty xx Things have been very hectic at home…my parents just got separated. I hate it. Anyway, I'll try to make this chapter slightly longer to make up for the wait…I'M SO SORRY!! –grovels- please please PLEASE forgive me…

Review replies:

**Mew-Dolphin:** Finally, a vote. Running in circles is fuuun. I'll try for the longer chapters though. XD

**SweetAsHoney:** I like making fun of villains XD yeah…I am a bigbigBIG fan of fluff. It's so fun to write, especially people's thoughts.

**i am no one and i stand alone:** Thanks for the review!!

**nlackdevil:** Yeah I did…took a while though

**Shashuko the Paisley Maiden:** I love cute stories. And writing them. XD

**mmRamen:** I'll have fun beating Deep Blue's sorry butt XD

**KittyMojo:** MORE COOKIES YAY –catches- yeah, Taruto is funny…especially around Pudding xD

**KisshuFanGirl:** I love reviews thanks!

Disclaimer: WHY DO I HAVE TO REPEAT IT…it's so depressing…I don't own TMM. –sobs-

Alright. On with the (long-put-off) story.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Last Time:

_Pai took a step backward. Lettuce quickly whispered in his ear, "Don't let him manipulate you. He is good with words. Please," her look changed to a one of pleading, "please don't leave us. Please, don't leave me."_

_Pai looked at her, completely taken aback. What did she mean? Did…was it possible that she had the same feelings for him that he had for her? No matter. He would defend her to the death. As Kish would defend Ichigo, and Tart would defend Pudding…though it would be a while before he would admit it. _

"_So," Deep Blue said, "You're really going to fight me?" He looked at all of them, each equally serious. "So be it."_

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(I am horrible at battle scenes, so please forgive this chapter…)

Deep Blue lunged at Pai, sword drawn. Pai quickly dodged and pulled out his fan.

"Fuu-Rai-Sen!" he yelled. Deep Blue easily dodged, jumping away.

"Ribbon Lettuce Rush!" Pai heard Lettuce's attack rather than saw it. Lettuce had aimed for the spot where she estimated Deep Blue would land-and it hit its mark. He yelled and jumped at her. "Lettuce!" Pai bellowed. "Look out!" Lettuce nimbly jumped out of the way. As Deep Blue landed, Kish appeared behind him and stabbed him with one of his Dragon Swords. Deep Blue howled in pain and fell, and Ichigo stepped forward, lifting her Strawberry Bell. "Ribbon Strawberry Check!" she yelled.

Meanwhile, Mint, Zakuro, Tart and Pudding were fighting the Chimera Anima-without much luck. Its spiky covering deflected their attacks, and they had yet to find a weak spot.

"Ribbon Mint Echo!" Mint was flying over everyone else, taking shots at the creature's back from above. All her arrows simply bounced off the creature's spikes, sometimes rebounding back towards her so she had to dodge her own attacks. She screamed in aggravation.

Zakuro, Tart and Pudding's luck wasn't much better. None of their attacks were effective against the giant dog.

"This isn't working!" Zakuro yelled despairingly.

"It's like it has no weak spots…" Tart sounded just as bleak as Zakuro. Mint was hit by a sudden burst of inspiration, and she landed close to the others. "What about it's stomach?" she asked hopefully.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

There. There's that extremely short chapter. I just wanted to let you guys know that I am _not _dead, and I _promise_ a really fast update this time. Like a day. Maybe less, depending on how many reviews I get for this chapter (if any…) Thank you so much for your patience and incredible support everyone!!


	9. Final Battle Pt 3

Hey, it's me again. I promised a fast update, didn't I? Two chapters in two days. I feel so proud. It's short, but sorry…all the chapters are. I seem to be incapable of long chapters. .

Review replies…I got four reviews in one night. Thanks so much everyone!!

**kishuxichigo4ever:** Glad you like it. Thanks for reviewing!!

**Anhyvar:** Thanks! I'll try to update more frequently…great story, by the way.

**Rae-Anime-Neko:** -sigh- I know. I am completely incapable of writing long chapters. But to make up for that, I'll try to update more often. Keyword being TRY.

**SweetAsHoney:** Glad you enjoyed it, even if it was short. Thanks for the sympathy-don't worry, I don't mind when people talk about it. I'm used to it. I'm happy the battle scene wasn't that bad…it took me forever to try to word it . Pai is awesome. Completely xD I will have lots of fun killing Deep Blue in the next chapter…-laughs evilly-

Anyway, here's the chapter!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Last Time 

"_Ribbon Mint Echo!" Mint was flying over everyone else, taking shots at the creature's back from above. All her arrows simply bounced off the creature's spikes, sometimes rebounding back towards her so she had to dodge her own attacks. She screamed in aggravation._

_Zakuro, Tart and Pudding's luck wasn't much better. None of their attacks were effective against the giant dog._

"_This isn't working!" Zakuro yelled despairingly._

"_It's like it has no weak spots…" Tart sounded just as bleak as Zakuro. Mint was hit by a sudden burst of inspiration, and she landed close to the others. "What about it's stomach?" she asked hopefully._

Now

"Good idea. Let's try it," Zakuro said, looking a bit more hopeful. Tart dived at the creature, swinging his yo-yos (A/N: that's his weapon right? What's the attack…or does he even have one? Gah.) Mint fired an arrow in the air, straight for the creature's eye. The arrow forced it to dodge, distracting it momentarily, and Tart skimmed underneath the creature's belly, whipping his yo-yo at it. The thing howled in pain and thrashed its tail, trying to hit Tart, but he was too fast-within seconds he was in the air and out of range.

"Ribbon Mint Echo!" Mint tried her attack again, but this time she aimed for the creature's stomach. The arrow hit the thing square in the belly, and it shrieked and backed up a few steps.

"Ribbon Pudding Ring Inferno!" Pudding yelled abruptly. The creature didn't notice the attack and therefore could not dodge it. It was soon incased in a large jelly-like substance. "Yay!" Pudding yelled happily.

"My turn," Zakuro said coldly. "Ribbon Zakuro Spear!" She also aimed at the thing's underside, and hit it squarely. It howled again, but could not move because of Pudding's attack.

"One more!" Zakuro cried. "Everyone!"

Tart threw his yo-yo, and the three girls attacked.

"Ribbon Mint Echo!"

"Ribbon Pudding Ring Inferno!"

"Ribbon Zakuro Spear!"

The four attacks joined, and hit the creature straight on. It shrieked loudly and disappeared. Disheveled and tired, the four looked towards the other battle- Deep Blue.

"Let's go help."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Alright…this chapter's finished. There is most likely only going to be one more chapter- the next one is probably the last, though I may make an epilogue after that. Please review! I _think_ I know what's going to happen, but I need some ideas for the end. Ideas would be very helpful and appreciated, thanks!


	10. The End

Ahhh…I completely forgot about this story. Life is too stressful. Pleeeeeease forgive me…and thanks to crazy-golden-monkey for reviewing and reminding me that I have a story.

Review replies…

**Iruka Retasu:** Well thank you. I don't like them, but I'm glad you do…here's the update!…finally…

**Rae-Anime-Neko:** Not really, judging from the wait for this chapter…yeah, I wasn't planning on ending it like that. I don't like that either.

**SweetAsHoney:** There'll be a lot of that, don't worry…or I hope there will be anyway…o.O I'll have an epilogue if enough people want one.

**crazy-golden-monkey:** thanks I'm really glad you like it. And thanks for reminding me that I do have a story…I completely forgot about it. o.O

Anyway…the last chapter!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Last Time 

"_One more!" Zakuro cried._ _"Everyone!"_

_Tart threw his yo-yo, and the three girls attacked._

"_Ribbon Mint Echo!"_

"_Ribbon Pudding Ring Inferno!"_

"_Ribbon Zakuro Spear!"_

_The four attacks joined, and hit the creature straight on. It shrieked loudly and disappeared. Disheveled and tired, the four looked towards the other battle-Deep Blue._

"_Let's go help."_

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Ribbon Strawberry Check!" Ichigo yelled, aiming at Deep Blue's crumpled form. Her hands shook slightly, but her eyes held a look of utter determination. The heart-shaped weapon lit up and fired a blast of pink light-but Deep Blue was already gone.

"What?" Ichigo breathed, confused. "Where'd he go?"

Kish looked grim. "He teleported. Things will just get more difficult from here…"

Lettuce saw movement from the corner of her eye, and looked over to see Zakuro, Tart, Pudding and Mint running over. "Well, we have some more help now…"

"Good," Pai replied. "We'll need all the help we can get."

"Where's Deep Blue?" Pudding asked as soon as they got to them.

"I don't kn-" Ichigo was cut off by Mint yelling, "Onee-san! Behind you!" Zakuro whirled around and raised her whip, barely deflecting Deep Blue's sword. Mint flew into the air and fired an arrow at his back, distracting him for a moment. That moment was enough for Zakuro to disentangle her whip from the sword. Seeing he was in trouble, Deep Blue teleported again.

"Alright everyone…we need a plan. A strategy. _Anything!_" Ichigo was getting exasperated.

"We have no way to predict where and when he will appear…" Pai appeared to be in deep thought. "I think the best thing to do would be to wait until he appears, then try to stop him from teleporting again."

"That might work…" Lettuce mused.

"It's worth a try, anyway…I can't think of any better ideas. Anyone else?" Kish asked.

"I think we should go with Pai's." Tart seemed fairly confident in that plan.

"Alright, let's try it!" Ichigo yelled. "Now all we have to do is wait for Deep Blue to appear…"

They didn't have to wait long. "Zakuro!" Lettuce yelled. "Behind you!" Zakuro spun around and quickly wrapped her whip around Deep Blue, leaving him unable to move. Pudding encased his sword in her jelly-like matter, so he was unable to cut himself free. "Attack!" they yelled at remaining Mews and aliens. Deep Blue struggled violently, but Zakuro would not let go.

"Alright," Pai said quietly. "On three. One"-Deep Blue thrashed around even more, making Zakuro grip her whip even harder-"two, _three!_" The six attacks merged, flying in a blur of colours toward the trapped Deep Blue. His eyes widened and he tried to teleport once more, but could only watch hopelessly as the attacks careened towards him.

There was a great explosion, and the Mews and aliens alike were sent flying backwards in a cloud of dust.

Pudding was the first to rise. "Tar-Tar! Lettuce! Ichigo! Where are you?"

Tart struggled to his feet, and attempted to look around through the thick cloud of dust. He struggled over to the dim form of Pudding and sat down beside her, pulling her down with him. She enveloped him in a hug, and he gratefully hugged her back. They stayed like that until Pai stumbled over them, looking for Lettuce.

"Pai? That you?" Tart asked. "Where's everyone else?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Pai replied dismally, clearly trying to hide his worry. "Come on, help me look."

Meanwhile, Ichigo and Kish had found eachother. "He's gone," Ichigo whispered. "We've been fighting him for what feels like forever, and now he's just _gone._"

"I know," Kish replied softly. "My whole life has been dedicated to Deep Blue-first as one of his _pawns_, then fighting him. I don't know what to do now."

"You can start with this," Ichigo murmured, and kissed him. (A/N: D… –cough- yeah sorry.)

"Look!" came a shrill voice. "It's Kish and Ichigo!" The two hastily broke apart as Pudding bounded up to them, closely followed by Pai and Tart. Pudding, seemingly not noticing the sudden tension, yelled, "Come on! Let's go find Lettuce and Zakuro and Mint!"

The group soon found Mint and Zakuro, who were wandering around as well, but Lettuce was nowhere to be found. Everyone was starting to get worried, especially Pai, who looked downright panicked-which was odd for someone who usually didn't show any emotion. By then, the dust had settled and they had a clear view of everything around them-but still no Lettuce. The group decided to split into groups to search for her; Mint and Zakuro, Ichigo, Pudding and Tart, and Pai and Kish went together.

Kish and Pai were silent for a while as Pai frantically scanned the park for any sign of Lettuce's bright green hair. Kish sighed. "You really love her, don't you?" he asked cautiously. Pai eyed him, surprised. He hesitated. "…yeah, I guess I do…" he muttered. Kish broke out into a wide smile. "So someone finally managed to melt that cold heart of yours…" he whispered loudly enough for Pai to hear. Pai smacked him over the head, sending him flying into the trees with a loud yell. Pai smirked, but then the worried look came back onto his face. Suddenly, he heard a cry from the pond near the middle of the park. Kish, who had gone to scan the park from the ground after Pai hit him, was gesturing wildly. Pai dived down to stand beside him.

"What is it?" he asked. Kish took a step back, slightly frightened by the intense, impassioned look in his eyes.

"It-it's Lettuce. At least, I think it is. I saw some green floating in the pond and it looked like her hair but I thought it was just some weeds but then I went closer and looked and it looked more like her hair and I think she's in there." He took a deep breath and turned back to Pai, who looked even more worried. "Can she swim?"

Pai looked at him, then replied, "I don't know. I think so, but not well…and she might be unconscious or something. Can you go get the others?" Kish nodded, then took off looking for the other groups.

Pai took a gulp of air, then dived into the pond.

It was deeper than he had expected-he couldn't even see the bottom. He could, however, see a figure slowly sinking downwards. Propelling himself furiously down, he grabbed Lettuce's arm and pulled her towards the surface. Coughing and spluttering, he resurfaced to see the Mews and aliens looking at him anxiously.

Pudding and Tart hurried to help drag Lettuce out of the water. "Is she okay?" Mint asked worriedly. Pudding and Tart gently laid her down. "Well, she's breathing…" Zakuro said somewhat doubtfully. Suddenly, Lettuce began to cough violently. Everyone looked at her hopefully as she opened her bright green eyes. She looked around confusedly. "What happened? Did we beat him? Is Deep Blue dead?" she asked hopefully. She stood up. "We did, didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did," Ichigo replied happily. Lettuce looked at Pai. "What's wrong?" she asked softly. The others dispersed into their own groups, giving the two a moment alone. "Why aren't you happy?"

Pai just looked at her for a moment, then enveloped her in a huge hug. "I thought I was going to lose you," he muttered into her ear softly. Lettuce hugged him back. Slowly, reluctantly, they broke apart. "Come on," Mint called. "We'd better get back to the café. Ryou and Keiichiro'll be wondering what happened."

Pai and Lettuce nodded and, hand in hand, happily started back to the café along with their friends.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

And that's it for the last chapter of Lost Love. Yes, my killing of Deep Blue sucked-I couldn't think of how to kill him without it being completely improbable and stupid. Yes, it's cheesy. But whatever, I like cheesy.

If you want an epilogue, tell me in a review-though if you don't review, I don't blame you. I hate me too.


End file.
